LAS VEGAS – Homeowners (and probably insurance carriers!) can rejoice at the Guardian automated leak prevention system, shipping today. The system is entirely do-it-yourself and requires no plumbing to be done at all. Simply clamp the main unit onto the pipe where your water main control valve is, and then set the Wi-Fi-connected sensors in strategic locations around the house. When one of the sensors detects a leak, the system’s automated motor closes the valve to prevent water damage from a constantly-fed open pipe. Each sensor has a 15-year battery inside it. We think that’s long enough to get your money out of the system and move on to something else cool in 10 years! Guardian also includes a temperature sensor to help prevent against water damage from frozen pipes. At 45F the system starts sending alerts to your iPhone; at 40F it shuts off your water. The iOS app can also be used to control and monitor the system remotely. A kit with the battery-backed base unit and three Wi-Fi sensors is priced at US$399, and you can add more sensors whenever you like.
Smarthome
C by GE Smart Lights Getting HomeKit Support in Early 2018
GE says its C by GE C-Life and C-Sleep bulbs, along with the C-Reach hub, are getting HomeKit support some time before the end of the first quarter of 2018.
Noon Home Brings Complex Light Control to Your Home with Smart Switch
Noon Home thinks smart lighting in our homes belongs in the switches and not the bulbs so they announced their Noon Smart Lighting System on Thursday.
A Robotic Lawn Mower to Save Your Pennies For
Jeff Butts loves all sorts of home automation gadgets, so it’s little surprise he’s interested in these yard machines.
Philips Hue Dimmer Switch, Motion Sensor, Tap, Get HomeKit Support
Philips just added HomeKit support to its Hue dimmer switch, motion sensor, and tap with a software update to the Philips Hue iPhone app.
Amazon Intros Echo Plus and Spot, Fire TV 4K
Amazon just ramped up its smarthome game—and Echo product line—with new Echo and Echo Plus smart speakers, and the Echo Spot.
Elgato Intros HomeKit Door Lock, Smoke Detector, More
Elgato is expanding its Eve HomeKit-compatible smart home product lineup with a new door lock, smoke detector, window sensor, and lawn watering controller.
Here's How to Control Your WeMo Switches From Your Mac
Controlling the WeMo devices in your smart home isn’t a task that has to be limited to your iPhone or iPad—your Mac can get in on the action, too.
iOS 11's Device Setup Feature, Coding iPhone Apps for Arduino - TMO Daily Observations 2017-08-16
Jeff Butts and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to talk about iOS 11’s new way to set up our devices, plus Mr. B fills us in on the iPhone app he wrote to monitor the Arduino thermometer he made.
Apple's 4K Apple TV, Arduino Smart Home Experiments - TMO Daily Observations 2017-08-07
John Martellaro and Jeff Butts join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on a leak that seems to confirm a 4K Apple TV is in the works, plus Jeff B fills us in on his Arduino kit experiments and HomeKit.
Apple Patent Details Controlling Your Smart Home from a Single Device
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a new Apple patent application on Thursday describing a system for controlling your smart home from a single device that can learn new functions. The patent sounds a lot like an iPhone with HomeKit, which is no coincidence at all.
The Apple of Tomorrow, and the Wild West of Home Automation - ACM 419
What exactly is “Apple?” The company is changing dramatically, and Bryan and Jeff explore where Apple might be going. They also talk about home automation, and how we are in the Wild West days of this future technology.
Interactive HomeKit Demo Stations Come to Apple Stores
If you’re having a hard time wrapping your head around HomeKit and why you might want smart home devices you can now try them out it Apple’s own stores.
EFF Tech Company Score Card, Smart Home Appliance Surveillance - TMO Daily Observations 2017-07-11
Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Butts join Jeff Gamet to sort out the EFF’s tech company score card, plus they have some thoughts on home voice appliances calling the police for us.
Guy Accidentally Tells Smart Home Device to Call the Cops on Him
I don’t think he collected $200, either.
Amazon Updates Echo With Home Intercom Feature
The feature works with the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, and even with the Alexa iPhone app, so you’ll be able to annoy your family from anywhere in the world.
Smarter Coffee Brews How You Want, When You Want
There are smart coffee makers, and then there’s Smarter Coffee. This coffee maker is so smart it can start brewing when you round the bend home from your morning jog. With the explosion in app-enabled appliances and smart home technology, it’s not too surprising. With Smarter Coffee, you can use the app or start brewing with a command to Alexa. That’s not all, though — the coffee maker has a built-in bean grinder. It will grind your beans to the perfect consistence, then brew your coffee just the way you like it. Connect Smarter Coffee to a fitness tracker. The coffee maker will start brewing when you near home after your jog or evening commute. Finally, the coffee maker tells you, through the app, how much water is in the reservoir. If you want to set it to brew eight cups of coffee, you’ll know right away if you need to add more water.
Tim Cook's Take on a Siri Smart Home Controller - TMO Daily Observations 2017-06-15
Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to offer up their thoughts on Apple CEO Tim Cook saying we don’t need a Siri smart home controller because we already have the iPhone and Apple Watch.
Essential Home Tries to Snag the Smarthome Crowd from Siri
Andy Rubin’s company, Essential, just set the bar for Apple’s rumored Siri voice assistant appliance.
Apple Wants you to Know Swift, Smarthome Fatigue - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-24
Kelly Guimont joins Jeff Gamet to discuss Apple’s Swift education strategy, plus they talk about smart home fatigue.
IKEA Says Hello to HomeKit, Apple's Diversity Boss, Huawei Targets the MacBook - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-23
HomeKit compatible products are about to become easier to find and more affordable thanks to IKEA. Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to talk about IKEA’s place in the smart home market, plus they noteDenise Young Smith’s new position at Apple, and Huawei’s new laptop that targets the MacBook.
Microsoft Invoke and Smart Home Fatigue - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-10
Microsoft has its own Amazon Echo competitor coming, and it’s called Invoke. Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to share their reactions to Microsoft’s new Cortana-based product, voice assistants, smart home fatigue, and more.
Amazon's Echo Show, FBI's iPhone Hack Price Tag - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-09
Amazon unveiled its Echo Show, and it has a display. Bryan Chaffin and the Maccast’s Adam Christianson join Jeff Gamet to share their reactions to Amazon’s newest Alexa device. They also have some thoughts on the unintended confirmation that the FBI paid $900,000 for the San Bernardino iPhone hack, plus Bryan coins “I’m gonna up that up.”
Amazon Unveils Echo Show with Display and Video Camera
The biggest un-surprise of the day comes from Amazon and its just announced Echo Show. The well-leaked new Echo model includes a built-in display and camera so you can get visual responses to your Alexa queries and make video calls, too.